ENVIRONMENTAL CRIMES UNIT CHARGES BALTIMORE COUNTY
MAN WITH UNLAWFUL DISCHARGE OF POLLUTANTS

Attorney General J. Joseph Curran, Jr. announced today that charges were filed against an individual for the unlawful discharge of a pollutant into the waters of the State of Maryland. A criminal information was filed in Baltimore County Circuit Court against an individual in connection with his company's discharge of carpet cleaning wastewater.

Carl Helfand, 56, of the 100 block of Strongwood Road in Owings Mills, was charged in a one-count criminal information with Unlawful Discharge of a Pollutant Into the Waters of the State on September 19, 2001. Agents of Helfand's company, Scientific Carpet Care, are alleged to have unlawfully discharged carpet cleaning wastewater in the 7900 block of Harford Road.

Helfand is presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt. The maximum penalty for a conviction for unlawfully discharging a pollutant into the waters of the state is one year imprisonment and/or a $25,000 fine.

This case was investigated by the Environmental Crimes Unit of the Office of the Attorney General and by Maryland Department of the Environment Emergency Response.

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